This invention relates generally to improvements in production systems and equipment for producing pancakes from a selected batter composition, such as a potato-based pancake batter. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved pancake die for filling with batter to form a succession of pancakes having a highly uniform and consistent mass or weight, but wherein the specific external shapes of the formed pancakes vary substantially at random to provide a desirable appearance of a homemade product.
Production systems and related equipment for use in producing pancakes from a selected batter composition are known in the art. For example, reciprocal forming systems are known include a die plate having a plurality of vertically open die cavities is translated back and forth between a filling station where the die cavities are filled with batter, and a discharge station where the thus-formed pancakes are separated from the die cavities typically by discharge onto an underlying conveyor which transports the formed pancakes for further processing such as partial cooking, freezing, packaging, etc. At the filling station, the die cavities are positioned beneath a batter reservoir to received metered volumes of batter dispensed therefrom, with an underlying stationary platen closing the undersides of the die cavities to contain the dispensed batter therein. At the discharge station, a plurality of vertically reciprocal overhead plungers are normally provided for engaging and pushing the formed pancakes onto the underlying conveyor.
Each pancake die cavity formed in the die plate has a selected geometric peripheral shape, such as a circle, oval, polygon, star, animal, or virtually any other geometric shape. In each case, however, the peripheral margins of the die cavity have been formed with a peripheral wall shape that has a substantially vertical and straight-sided wall shape to form a succession of molded pancakes having parallel upper and lower surfaces bounded by a highly regular and consistent straight-sided peripheral edge configuration. While this regularity of formed product shape may be desirable with respect to certain types of pancake products, the high degree of shape consistency provides the customer with the unmistakable impression that the product has been mass produced. By contrast, such shape-consistent products do not convey the impression that the pancake products have been freshly made by the restaurant or other food facility at which they are served. Alternately stated, such shape consistency does not provide the customer with the impression of a homemade product, wherein such homemade impression is normally associated by customers with a higher product quality.
The present invention is directed to an improved pancake die for use in pancake production systems and methods, wherein the improved pancake die is designed to produce a succession of pancakes having a highly uniform and consistent mass or weight, but wherein these pancakes have substantially random shape characteristics suggestive of a desirable homemade product.